Professor's app seeks to empower N.H. voters

PORTSMOUTH — A new iPhone application created by a city resident seeks to empower voters in light of the new voter identification law taking effect this year.

Joey Cresta

PORTSMOUTH — A new iPhone application created by a city resident seeks to empower voters in light of the new voter identification law taking effect this year.

Albert "Buzz" Scherr, a professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law and a board member with the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, said the "You Can't Stop Me: Voter App" provides Granite State residents with the knowledge and tools they need to uphold their voting rights.

"Our goal is to give the confused voter a tool to help in sorting (photo ID and registration requirements) out so they don't just turn around and leave," Scherr said. "We think that voters have a degree of uncertainty and confusion about what they can and can't do. They'll feel intimidated or hassled enough in some way, and they're just going to decide not to go vote. We don't want that to happen."

A new law set to be fully implemented this Election Day requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. On Nov. 6, even those without an approved photo ID will be able to vote, but they will have to fill out a "challenged voter affidavit."

The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union recently won a key court case blocking the implementation of another new law this year that would change requirements for voter registration that opponents claim would disenfranchise nonresident college students. The New Hampshire attorney general will appeal that ruling.

"However you view (the law changes), the app is there to empower the voters to get that which they're eligible to have," Scherr said.

He said the "You Can't Stop Me" app will equip voters with information on how to register to vote, what to do on Election Day, challenges voters may encounter in the voting process, and a form to send audio, video, picture and text messages to the NHCLU in the event they come across voting irregularities.

Scherr said anyone feeling "hassled" or "intimidated" by election officials can, with the press of a button, get connected to the attorney general's hotline, or record the encounter and send it to the NHCLU for investigation.

Local election officials reported some hostility when first implementing the new law during the Sept. 11 primary election. Greenland Town Clerk Marge Morgan, for instance, said one angry voter threw his license at a volunteer when asked to show his identification.

While Scherr said he is not encouraging hostility between voters and election officials, he does believe the reporting tools can help "balance the power relation between the two parties."

In creating the app, Scherr worked closely with former UNH student Eman Pahlevani, who created the mobile personal safety and crime reporting app CrimePush with his brother, Shy Pahlevani.

Scherr said he has heard from students already who say they appreciate the app. When asked whether out-of-state students should just fill out absentee ballots to vote in their home state, Scherr said absentee balloting is a difficult process and a "hassle" for out-of-state students.

Scherr said he anticipates releasing a version of the app for Android phones before the election. Regardless of the platform, the app will be free to download.

"We're not interested in making money off of empowering voters," he said.

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